 | | A rally taken out by Morcha supporters in Darjeeling on Wednesday. (Suman Tamang) |
TT, Darjeeling , July 15: Clouds of uncertainty are hovering over the proposed tripartite talks, with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today demanding that the meeting in Delhi must be held before the budget session of Parliament ends on August 7. The Morcha also termed the invitation for the talks as a ruse to get the party to withdraw the indefinite strike. The Union home ministry yesterday sent a letter to the Morcha apprising the party of the Centre’s willingness to hold a tripartite meeting on August 24. With the Morcha demanding the talks before August 7, the hill outfit has virtually rejected any discussion at a later date. “We have received the letter and we demand that the tripartite meeting be held with the sole agenda of Gorkhaland at a political level before the end of the current session of Parliament,” said, Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha. The Morcha, however, seemed dissatisfied with the content of the letter sent by the Union home ministry and termed it as “vague”. “It merely states that a tripartite meeting will be held on August 24. The letter does not specify the agenda of the meeting or its venue. It is also silent on the people who will be invited to the talks. We believe that this is just a ploy to get us to withdraw the indefinite strike,” added Tamang. He reiterated that the Morcha would not sit for any other meeting except for Gorkhaland and added that there was no question of the strike being withdrawn unless the party was satisfied with the outcome of the tripartite meeting held at a political level. The Morcha also maintained that a document, titled Why Gorkhaland, would be released at the Constitution Club in New Delhi tomorrow. “Sushma Swaraj, Jaswant Singh and Rajiv Pratap Rudy (all belonging to the BJP) will be present, along with other leaders, during the release,” said Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha over the phone from New Delhi. The document justifies and reasons the logic behind the demand for Gorkhaland and will be circulated among the MPs, Giri said. Sources said the Centre was also looking at appointing an interlocutor to look into the demand for Gorkhaland. “The issue of appointing an interlocutor had been discussed during the second tripartite meeting. However, after that, we have not heard anything about it,” he said.
(In Delhi, home minister officials declined comment on the demand, saying the Morcha had to convey it formally. -Bengal edition)
GLP take over police duties | | VIVEK CHHETRI |  | | Gorkhaland Personnel patrol a road in Darjeeling on Wednesday. Picture by Suman Tamang |
TT, Darjeeling, July 15: The khaki is sharing space with the green, gold and black uniform of the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) in the hills as the indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha entered its third day today. The youths who joined the GLP now receive a monthly remuneration of about Rs 1,500 from the Morcha. They are patrolling the streets and taking part in “social activities” like banning the use of plastic and gutkasachets — activities one would normally associate with the state government or civic bodies, if not just the police. The police have a presence and are patrolling the hills on foot following the Morcha’s announcement that no vehicles would be allowed to ply during the strike. But the police are far outnumbered by the GLP boys and girls out in the streets. “We have deployed 4,500 GLP during the strike and another 5,000 are on a standby. There are 180 GLP youths patrolling the NH31A,” said Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha. The GLP have been trained in various aspects like crowd management, traffic control, disaster management and also in martial arts but not in fire arms. “The GLP are like the RSS. We are not challenging the police but only using the GLP to control our own rallies and ensure that our supporters do not create law and order problems,” said Tamang. However, at present, the GLP are being seen as a quasi-police force by the local people in the hills. “I was hauled up while I was smoking at Chowrastha and I had to stub out the cigarette,” said a resident. Employees of no administrative wing have ever patrolled the streets to ensure that the ban on smoking in public places is enforced. On Monday evening, when the Morcha launched its indefinite strike, the GLP patrolled the streets and asked people who were found reeking of alcohol to go back home early. “I thought that was the job of the police,” said a person who had been pulled out by the GLP. In the past one month, the GLP has also played a significant role in banning gutkasachets by moving across town asking shops to stop selling the chewing tobacco. At the moment, one hardly finds any shop selling gutkas. K.L. Tamta, the inspector-general of police, north Bengal, said the police were not going in for any confrontation at the moment. “If the people are willing to listen to the diktat of the Morcha what can we do? If they (GLP) come to Siliguri and do something which the people do not want, we will not tolerate such attempts,” said Tamta. The third day of the strike passed off peacefully with hundreds of people taking out rallies in Darjeeling. The Morcha supporters are also continuously demonstrating in front of the police stations across the hills. | GJMM ALLOWS SNT BUSES
RANGPO, July 15: A meeting held between the officials of Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) and Sunil Pradhan, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Incharge of National Highway 31 A here this evening has decided to permit at least five SNT buses to ply tomorrow along the Highway.
The five SNT buses will ferry all the stranded tourists along with students having bus, train and flight tickets to Siliguri, it is informed.
Similarly, the people coming to Sikkim, who are stranded in Siliguri will be ferried back to Gangtok in the same buses.
It is also informed that the tourists stranded in Rangpo have been given space at SNT office here and also at the Jankalyan Samaj Ghar free of cost to spend the night. GJM help desk for Sikkimese people | | SE, GANGTOK, July 14: A cell has been constituted by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in Kalimpong to facilitate the movement of people from Sikkim for urgent works during the bandh period.
People from Sikkim having emergency or urgent works and need to reach Siliguri can contact GJM in-charge of NH 31 A, Sunil Pradhan who has been authorized by the party high command to make necessary arrangements for the people of Sikkim. Mr. Pradhan can be reached at 9933947288. The GJM has stressed that this facility for Sikkimese persons is only for emergencies and proper documents or travel tickets are a must.
Speaking to SIKKIM EXPRESS, Mr. Pradhan asserted that the bandh has not been called to disturb Sikkim. We are fighting for our identity and the highway (NH 31A) is like our front yard and is automatically shut down during the bandh, he said appealing the people of Sikkim not to think that the bandh has been called to harass them. We have given special exemption to LPG vehicles and have set up a help desk for the benefit of Sikkimese people who have urgent or emergencies works at Siliguri, said Mr. Pradhan. It the people or students shows us proper documents like travel tickets or they are genuinely sick we will provide pass, he said appealing the people of Sikkim for support towards the Gorkhaland movement.
At the same time, Sikkimese people struck at Siliguri and require to reach Sikkim urgently can contact the GJM party functionary Bishal Chettri who is based in Siliguri. He can be reached at 9832362768. | DARJEELING INDEFINITE BANDH: DAY 2
Bandh will continue until positive outcome is achieved from tripartite talks: Bimal Gurung
GJM to give exemption to NH 31A for Sikkim on occasions during the bandh | | SE,DARJEELING, July 14: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung today announced that the indefinite Darjeeling Hills bandh will not be called back until there is a positive decision taken after a tripartite meeting.
“Till today, no letter has come from the government for tripartite talks. Even if the letter comes, the indefinite bandh will continue”, said Mr. Gurung to reporters on the second day of the indefinite bandh.
The GJM chief explained that there had been several letters and tripartite meetings had taken place earlier. “However, there was no benefit from these meetings and as such, no only a letter for tripartite meeting will not do. Until there is tripartite meeting and a positive outcome is achieved, the indefinite bandh in the hills will continue”, he said.
Stressing the next tripartite meeting should be on Gorkhaland only on political levels, Mr. Gurung said that if the West Bengal Chief Minister wants to conduct a meeting before the tripartite meeting then it should be only on Gorkhaland issue.
“We had waited for a long time for the next tripartite talks but the government showed no interest compelling us to go for an indefinite strike”, said Mr. Gurung. He said that bandh had been decided much earlier before the Panighata incident happened.
At the same time, the GJM is planning to give window period on occasions during the indefinite bandh period for National Highway 31A connecting Sikkim and Siliguri where vehicular movement will be allowed.
The GJM chief also said that the party will provide arrangements if the educational institutions of the Hills want to send their boarding students to their homes. If the schools want to keep the students at the hostels, the party will make arrangements for food provisions, he said.
Mr. Gurung also promised not to allow the people of the hills to remain hungry during the bandh period. “The people of Darjeeling hills must support the Gorkhaland movement and stock food items for one month. After this, it is our responsibility to feed the people”, he said.
Meanwhile, a total of 25000 Gorkhaland Personnel has been recruited in Darjeeling and Dooars areas. Out of these, training will be given to 6000 recruits in various places of Darjeeling, informed Mr. Gurung. GJM's POLICE WING TIGHTENS GRIP ON HILLS TOI, DARJEELING/KOLKATA, 16 July: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s decision to put its ‘police wing’ —Gorkhaland Personnel —on ‘law and order duty’ during its ongoing indefinite strike has brought into sharp focus how Darjeeling has gradually slipped out of Kolkata’s grasp. Since the bandh began on Monday, GLP volunteers in blue uniform with green, yellow and white stripes (their party colours) have been patrolling streets with West Bengal police virtually retreating from most of the Hills.
About 4,500 GLP volunteers have been deployed to maintain law and order, while 180 are manning National Highways 31A and 55. About 5,000 have been kept as reserves, while 7,000 volunteers will be recruited.
This follows after GJM refused to exempt police vehicles, except that of SP, from the purview of the strike called in support of its Gorkhaland demand. It has also demanded transfer of the IGP (North Bengal), the ASP (headquarters) and the SDPO (Kurseong) and an inquiry into last week’s clashes between police and GJM workers at Panighatta, a foothill settlement.
Writers’ Buildings started losing control over Darjeeling in November 2007, almost a year before Lalgarh went out of bounds for Kolkata. At that time, GJM had shut down Hills for two days that stopped CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee from attending a CPM conference in Darjeeling. Since then, the CM has not visited Hills.
The state government hobnobbed with GJM during the last days of Subash Ghisingh as caretaker administrator of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in early 2008. In three months, GJM brought the entire Hills under its control. In April 2008, Kolkata looked helpless when the new pro-Gorkhaland party began an indefinite boycott of taxes and payment of electricity and telephone bills as part of its ‘home rule’ agitation.
GJM HARDENS STAND PTI,Kolkata, 15 July: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, enforcing an indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills for creation of a separate Gorkhaland state, today hardened its stand saying it would call off the bandh only if the forthcoming tripartite talks "yields positive results".
"Our (GJM) president Bimal Gurung has already said the the bandh will not be lifted until such meetings yield positive results," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told PTI from Delhi over phone as the shutdown entered the third day.
Asked specifically if the bandh would be lifted in view of the Centre calling for tripartite talks in Delhi on 24 August, Giri said "Our president and the Central Committee will decide."
Claiming that the Centre had not asked the GJM to call off the bandh, he said "the third tripartite meeting was to be held immediately after the Lok Sabha elections. It should be held immediately. Why 24 August?"
The last two rounds of talks among the three sides were held in 2008 at the secretary level.
Meanwhile, schools, colleges, shops and business establishments remained closed as also around 40 tea gardens in the hills with normal life totally paralysed.
There was little attendance in state or central government offices, while vehicles were off the roads.
JM bandh in Darjeeling enters third day Marcus Dam, Photo: Ajay Sha
Supporters of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha take out a rally in Darjeeling on Wednesday.TH, KOLKATA, July 16: Even as the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal entered its third day on Wednesday, the Sikkim government will be reiterating to the Centre the need to ensure that the highway linking the Himalayan State to the rest of the country remained open during such agitations. “Both the Centre and West Bengal should find a way to ensure that Sikkim is not affected on such occasions. What is required is a permanent solution to the problem,” Chief Minister Pawan Chamling told The Hindu over telephone from Namchi in south Sikkim. “It is not only a matter concerning the Gorkhas and West Bengal but one that involves the entire region and the country as a whole. The interests of all should be safeguarded,” he said. “We have been raising the matter with the Centre and West Bengal for several years. It is the democratic right of all to agitate but in this instance, why should Sikkim be a victim of a situation where its road link with the rest of the country remains snapped?” Mr. Chamling, who will be going to New Delhi shortly, asked. “If the situation persists, there could be a shortage of essential commodities including food grains, in Sikkim. The on-going bandh has already started affecting tourism in the State and could impact the various development projects as raw materials for construction purposes need to be transported up along the highway where traffic movement has remained suspended,” a Sikkim government official said. The GJM leadership, meanwhile, remained firm on continuing the bandh that has been called in support of its demand for a separate Gorkhaland State. “We are keen on tripartite talks but they should focus on the single agenda of statehood. Any future discussion will have to be political as the issue calls for a political solution and a commitment should be made by the Centre that the subject to be discussed is the creation of a Gorkhaland State,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said from New Delhi. On whether the bandh will be lifted in view of the Home Ministry decision to call for tripartite talks in the capital on August 24 he said: “The bandh is continuing. Any decision on the matter will be announced by GJM president Bimal Gurung after the central committee meets.” Mr. Giri and three other GJM leaders are in the capital to seek support for the statehood demand among MPs of different political parties. Normal life in the sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong came to a standstill during the day because of the bandh. Vehicles did not ply, while shops, commercial establishments and schools remained closed. Shutdown paralyses hills, GJM sets conditions for talks
IANS, Siliguri (West Bengal), July 15 Life was paralysed in three hill subdivisions of West Bengal's Darjeeling district on day three of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM)- sponsored indefinite shutdown, as the pro-Gorkhaland agitators Wednesday set two conditions for participating in the tripartite talks convened by the central government. GJM activists took out a rally in Darjeeling town and squatted on three National Highways and other important roads which wore an empty look as vehicles did not ply. Tea gardens remained shut, timber movement was stalled while road connectivity between Sikkim and rest of the country got snapped as the GJM workers blockaded the crucial National highway 31 A, the lifeline of the tiny Himalayan state. Schools, colleges, shops and offices in the hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong were closed, but the district court in Darjeeling town functioned. A day after the central government convened the tripartite parleys in New Delhi Aug 24, GJM assistant general secretary Benoy Tanmang told reporters that the missive has reached his outfit. However, he expressed anguish at the letter having no reference to Gorkhaland, a separate state demanded by the GJM and some other hill outfits in the northern part of the state. He demanded that the tripartite discussion be held centring the Gorkhaland issue before the budget session of parliament came to an end. "Secondly, the discussions must be at a political level. Last time it was at the secretaries' level. We will take part in the meeting only if it is at the political level," Tamang said. However, he refused to call off the ongoing shutdown on the basis of the letter. "Aug 24 is far off. They should have opted for an early date." A senior police officer said the situation was peaceful. "Our men are patrolling the highway. If we receive any complaint of harassment, we will step in," said Kurseong sub-divisional police officer Rakesh Singh. Meanwhile, the state's ruling communists have demanded the return of the rule of law in the hills. "The police must be allowed to function properly. And we are for more regional autonomy to the hills. Gorkhaland is neither feasible nor desirable," said Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state committee member Jibesh Sarkar. Ambulances and vehicles belonging to the army or carrying essential items like cooking gas have been kept out of the purview of the GJM protest. The GJM, spearheading the movement in the hills for a separate Gorkhaland, organised indefinite shutdowns twice in the hills last year and also in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls this year, severely hitting tea and tourism - the bread and butter of the region. Tripartite talks held last year in New Delhi had failed to break the deadlock.
GORKHA BODY DUBS CENTRE's INVITATION ' MEANINGLESS' PTI, July 15: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which has been invited by the Centre to a third tripartite meeting in New Delhi on August 24, on Wednesday said it was 'meaningless' and would not call off the indefinite shutdown which entered the third day in the Darjeeling hills. "We have demanded that this tripartite talks be on the political level. The brief letter from a Union under secretary has only given the date of the meeting. It has also not said who would participate on behalf of the Centre and the state. It is meaningless and we will not call off our strike," GJM Press and Publicity Secretary Benoy Tamang told PTI. "August 24 is also far away. A closer date should have been chosen," he said. Asked if the NH 31A, the sole road link to Sikkim, was open, Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) Tamta said, "It is the policy of the police not to go for confrontation." He said the police had not been approached by the Sikkim government or vehicle owners in Sikkim. Meanwhile, schools, colleges, shops and business establishments remained closed as also most of the tea gardens in the hills. Presence of employees at state and central government offices remained relatively low, sources said, adding, vehicles also remained off the roads. A large number of GJM volunteers in uniform marched on the roads enforcing the strike. On Tuesday, West Bengal chief secretary in Kolkata said the government has learnt that the Centre has appealed to the GJM to withdraw the strike and a tripartite meeting on the Gorkhaland issue was scheduled in Delhi on August 24.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung is currently in the New Delhi.
400 pursue Cong House leader and other MLAs across paddy fields |
TT, Burdwan, July 15: A team of Congress MLAs was chased across paddy fields by armed CPM activists this afternoon in a pocket of Burdwan rocked by political clashes since the Lok Sabha polls. Hit by stones, Katwa MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee needed eight stitches on his head, and Kandi MLA Apurba Sar- kar had to be hospitalised. The others were treated for cuts and bruises. Legislature party leader Manas Bhuniya had led the nine MLAs escorted by about 20 policemen who allegedly scooted during the attack at Dhanyarukhi village, about 175km from Calcutta. The MLAs were there with tarpaulin sheets, clothes, rice and wheat to be distributed among Congress and Trinamul Congress supporters whose houses had been attacked during the clashes. |
As they got down from their cars at the approach to the village and started walking, around 400 people armed with stones, sticks and sharp weapons confronted them. According to Bhuniya, the policemen following them at a distance did nothing when the mob closed in and almost surrounded the MLAs. Sensing trouble, the leaders got off the metalled road and started running, through knee-deep mud in some places. While crossing the many small irrigation canals on the way, Englishbazar MLA Krishnendu Chowdhury and Garden Reach’s Abdul Khalek Mollah fell. Partymen pulled them up but Chowdhury had to be carried on shoulders for most of the 3km. Stones hurled from behind hit Chatterjee, Sarkar and Nargis Begum, who had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Burdwan-Durgapur. “The mob was chasing us and it was difficult to run through the muddy fields. But if we didn’t run, we would have been killed,” said Chatterjee. Immediately before the attack, Bhuniya had called the chief minister. “I told him to intervene, or we might get killed,” the MLA said. “He (Bud- dhadeb Bhattacharjee) said he’d look into it immediately.” It is not clear what the chief minister did after that. Additional superintendent of police Humayun Kabir confirmed the “attack was carried out by CPM activists”. “We’ll arrest the culprits,” he added. A 12-hour bandh has been called tomorrow in Katwa subdivision, under which Dhanyarukhi village falls, and Nadia and Murshidabad districts. “We will decide on Saturday whether to call a Bengal bandh,” said Bhuniya. Congress supporters blocked roads at several places in Burdwan district and set fire to a Calcutta- bound bus in Murshidabad. Asked why the police did not protect the MLAs, circle inspector Samir Basak, who was with them, said: “We tried, but were beaten back. Three of our men were injured.” The Congress leaders rubbished the defence. “We saw them retreating from the moment it became clear that we were under attack,” said the district Congress secretary. State CPM secretary Biman Bose “strongly condemned” the incident. “Political leaders and workers should be allowed to go to any part of the state. What has happened shouldn’t have happened.” He added: “The CPM has nothing to do with it. However, if anyone from the CPM is involved, the district committee will take action against them. If the police were present, they should have intervened.” There have been frequent clashes in Dhanyarukhi and neighbouring villages since the murder of CPM district committee member Falguni Mukherjee by suspected Trinamul supporters in mid-June. District CPM secretary Amal Haldar said: “The villagers were angry because Mukherjee was a popular leader .” Mamata Banerjee sought central intervention. “The time has come for the Centre to go through the Constitution and take appropriate steps. The CPM-led government has lost the moral right to rule.” Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi called up Bhuniya this evening and apparently told the MLA he would take up the issue with the government. On the trip, Bhuniya (the MLA from Sabang) also had with him MLAs Abu Hena (Lalgola), Asit Mal (Hasan), Nepal Mahato (Purulia) and Ajoy De (Shantipur). The chief secretary said a large police force had been sent to the area and Section 144 imposed in Katwa town. Last month, CPM supporters had prevented Trinamul MP Sudip Bandopadhyay and MLAs Partha Chatterjee and Madan Mitra from going to the area. Later, Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee did reach the place with relief. |
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